Spring Training Preview

With pitchers and catchers reporting to camp on Thursday, I figured it'd be a good time for a spring training preview. The following are sure to be hot items heading into the spring.

1. Joe Girardi's first appearance as Yankees Manager - It's going to be very strange to see someone other than Joe Torre at the helm for Yankee players and fans, but it will be interesting to see how Joe handles the New York media, the young players, and the veterans. I'm a very big fan of Girardi and expect that he'll hit the ground running.

2. Andy Pettitte and the fallout from the Mitchell Report - The media is still eating this story up and I really don't foresee them slowing down. It's going to be a rough spring for Andy. Reports already indicate that he is behind schedule in his workouts. It will be interesting to see how well he responds. Andy has always been a class act and handled his inclusion in the report as best as possible; I am sure he will do the same with the media. I am hoping that the fans will be supportive of him and that the media gets bored with this.

3. Chien-Ming Wang and salary arbitration - It doesn't make much sense to me why the two sides can't agree on a one-year deal here. Wang is asking for $4.6 million and the Yanks are offering $4.0 million. For a team that shells out money like they do, it's hard to understand why the Yanks are trying to save money on their ace pitcher. Additionally, Wang would like to be tied up long term; however, he is not eligible for free agency until 2011. The Yankees are reluctant to sign any pitchers long term, especially if they don't need to. Stay tuned on this one, hopefully there is no bad blood here.

4. A-Rod's New Contract- 10 years and $275 million later, this has become Alex's team. After tearing it up last season and crawling back to the Yankees, maybe Alex has grown up a bit. I would imagine that there is less pressure on him that there has been in previous years. How will he respond? I expect big big things from him over the next 10 years.

5. Jeter - Jeter in my eyes had a very disappointing year last year. He was not the clutch player we've come to know, he hit into a ton of double plays, and he noticeably lost some range. This will be an interesting year for the captain, particularly after A-Rod's big deal. I think Jeter has gotten bored over the last few years, but may be a little more motivated this year to show people why he is indeed the Captain.

6. Joba - It looks like Joba is officially slated for the bullpen to start out the season. The updated "Joba Rules" seem to be the idea that Joba will throw his first 30 innings or so in the bullpen, then head to the minor leagues around June, build up his endurance and throw another 90 innings as a starter. It will be interesting to see if these plans hold up. Several factors can affect this plan, including the effectiveness of the bullpen, the rotation, and Joba's health.

7. First Base - First base is pretty much an open audition. I don't understand why they didn't at least offer Doug Mientkiewicz a spring training invite. The cast of characters includes Jason Giambi, Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit, Jason Lane, Morgan Ensberg, and Juan Miranda.

8. The Bullpen - The bullpen is a huge question mark - as always. It seems that 4 spots in the pen are booked with Mo, Farnsworth, Hawkins, and now Joba. The young arms are key, and I'm looking forward to seeing what these kids have.

9. Phil & Ian - A lot of eyes will be on these two as they will try to prove that Brian Cashman made the right decision in not trading them for Johan Santana. Not to put too much pressure on them, but these guys could be the key to the season.

10. Mike Mussina - Moose was awful last year. Some speculate that he was in bad shape coming in to spring training. He was not a fan of Marty Mitchell's training program and it's no surprise that he pulled a hamstring early in the year. The Yanks need Moose to be a serviceable starter. I think he has enough pride that he will finish his career on a good note. If Moose can be effective, it gives the Yanks a lot of options as to how to use Joba and the rest of the kids.